Recommend an anti-fatigue mat

[gameaholic]

I just got my standing desk (Geekdesk Max) and I am in the market for an anti-fatigue mat to stand on.  Not sure whether to go with gel filled or memory foam.  Anyone have any recommendations?

[regack]

I've got a gelpro in the kitchen, it seems to be nice...

[mashby]

I just got a GeekDesk too, so I'll be following your thread to see what people recommend as well. 

[elton5354]

Cool, I want a GeekDesk now.

[daerid]

Same here. Having both a standing desk and an Aeron (super comfy) means I pretty much never use my desk at standing height

[hoggy]

I got one of these a couple of years ago.
http://www.specialistmats.co.uk/happy-feet-anti-fatigue-mat.html

Haven't tried any other mats, but I still like it.  I'd guess it halves the fatigue for the same amount of standing - for me at least - when compared to not using one. 

If you've got a sit stand station, you won't want one that's too big as you'll be shoving it under your desk quite often.

[hoggy]

The gelpro looks really good for the kitchen - I can't recommend the happy feet one for in there as you'll never keep it clean.

[cbf123]

If you're still looking, WellnessMats makes some good ones.  Spendy though.  I got a 24x36 for in front of the kitchen sink.

I had a memory foam one before that...it felt really good initially but as you stand on it the foam compresses to the point where it's not very useful anymore.

[smferris]

I just got a smartcells mat to use with a standing desk.  A bit pricy, but I wasn't confident a gel or memory foam mat would work well for the length of time I'd be at a standing desk.

[TGVarik]

I have a GelPro; specifically a NewLife Eco-Pro from their commercial line. It's foam-only. I didn't want something with a liquid that could leak if it got poked the wrong way. I love it without qualification. It's easy to clean, durable, and never bottoms out.

I always wear those ridiculous toe-shoes you sometimes see runners in, though, so I have no comment on how it feels in regular shoes.

-TGV

[mashby]

A couple of weeks ago, I had to stop by the mall and swung into the Williams-Sonoma store. In front of the checkout register was a [urlhttp://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wellness-mat/?pkey=e%7Cwellness%2Bmat%7C8%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-]Wellness-mat[/url] which felt really, really nice.

I held off getting one, because of the price, but the GelPro have some clearance items that might just do the trick. 

Update
Well, I ended up picking up a foam mat from GelPro on Amazon. [link]. The reason? Price and color. I liked the green color and the price was right. I figure if I don't like it, I can always upgrade later, and move this some where else in my office. 

[kod]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but if you're using a sit-stand desk with a chair and an anti-fatigue mat... do you have to drag the anti-fatigue mat out of the way every time you want to sit down?  Most of the ones I've seen are thick enough a chair wouldn't roll on them.

[mashby]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but if you're using a sit-stand desk with a chair and an anti-fatigue mat... do you have to drag the anti-fatigue mat out of the way every time you want to sit down?  Most of the ones I've seen are thick enough a chair wouldn't roll on them.

I'll know more tomorrow when it arrives, but I'm expecting that I'll push the mat under the desk when I want to sit.

[esoomenona]

Are you guys very short? How do you get the GeekDesk to work? Do you have to have something extra to help lift the monitor even higher up? And in that case, why not fabricate something yourself for much cheaper?

[mashby]

Are you guys very short? How do you get the GeekDesk to work? Do you have to have something extra to help lift the monitor even higher up? And in that case, why not fabricate something yourself for much cheaper?

Ergonomics
I'm 5' 10". Ergonomics are of course very personal, but I found with my iMac that I didn't have an issue switching from a sitting position to a standing position. As a backup, I had a monitor arm that I thought I might need to use to make adjustments, but it turned out I didn't need it.

I've read where some folks choose to use an adjustable keyboard tray. So instead of adjusting the height of the display, they adjust the height of the keyboard. Since I didn't have any issues changing positions, I never went down that road.

However, I switched to a 27" Thunderbolt Display and a laptop as my primary machine and I found I did need to raise the height of the display, so I purchase a HiRise for iMac which solved the issue for me.

GeekDesk
Their are certainly less expensive options out there to have a make shift standing solution, but what appealed to me about the GeekDesk was that it was adjustable and that I could buy just the legs and use my existing desktop. Now that I've been using it for about 3 months or so, I can say that I'm very happy with my purchase decision.

When I'm "cranking" I tend to stand, but if I get tired, or need to think deeply on a problem, I'll often lower the desk to a sitting position. I like that I can change position as needed and that I'm not locked into a single choice. There's a nice context switch when I decide to close GeekHack and get to work and standing and raising the desk makes for a nice physical switch.

Additionally, the back and shoulder issues that I had with just sitting have all but gone away. The only new adjustment has been some stress and tiredness in my feet from standing. There are some days where I'll stand for over 8 hours and my feet get rather tired on those days.  After wearing some boots to work during the heavy winter season, I noticed I preferred my boots because they had more cushion in the sole and thus made it more comfortable to stand. That's when I figured it was time to get an anti-fatigue mat.

[hoggy]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but if you're using a sit-stand desk with a chair and an anti-fatigue mat... do you have to drag the anti-fatigue mat out of the way every time you want to sit down?  Most of the ones I've seen are thick enough a chair wouldn't roll on them.

Pretty much - I made sure I had a mat small enough to fit under my desk for when I'm not using it and wasn't too awkward to move every time I want to move it.

[esoomenona]

Put the mat on a little tray with a belt drive connected to your desk, so when you operate the lift on your desk, the tray rolls out automatically.

[Input Nirvana]

I'm not sure, so I hate to post about this, but I stood on some amazing stuff in a commercial/industrial/government setting….I really am not sure but I think it was SmartCells. It was like a progressive cushion and didn't seem to bottom out, so you almost felt bouncy…any more would NOT be ok. It was quality industrial/heavy duty grade, ramped on the sides. Seriously amazing. I was in a weird place and somewhat distracted/rushed but I meant to find out what it was. I remember standing on it thinking "this can't get any better".

So I'm a +1 for anti-fatigue mats.

[Lanx]

do you guys that use these mats wear sneakers/shoes?

culturally i'm asian, so footwear gets checked at the door/mudroom/entry way, i've been invited to a lot of homes, and i'd say taking off shoes is like 50/50 (100% for asian tho).

i do currently wear tempurpedic (memory foam) slippers around my new apartment (the carpet is industrial, like a hotel carpet), and also wear it if i'm at the kitchen, so no fatigue.

wondering if anyone would "change" or just slip on memory foam slippers instead of the mat, especially since if you guys swap between sit/stand, you'd have pick the mat off the floor everytime.

[mashby]

do you guys that use these mats wear sneakers/shoes?

That's a excellent question.

Personally, I don't take off my shoes at home, or at the office, so the added padding of the mat really helps.

And although I haven't tried memory foam slippers, I don't know that they would be as thick as the mats, or feel as comfortable, but it's definitely an idea.

[Input Nirvana]

Oddly, I just came across this over the weekend and asked about it Very nice, but I can't compare to the mats I walked on before and I can't judge which is better at this time. Need a side-by-side. But here's the link anyhow:

http://imprintmats.com/products/professional

[DavidJatt]

Has anyone tried making their own using a bit of foam or rubber?

[tp4tissue]

Has anyone tried making their own using a bit of foam or rubber?

There's not much to it.

The reason it's Anti-fatigue, is because the soft surface causes you to move your legs slightly more than on a hard surface.

This reduces the static strain and "allegedly" improves circulation.


The industrial one is just bound better, because it's designed to not wear out..



Any soft foam mat will work.

[scud80]

have you read this yet? https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk-mat/

i have the cumuluspro, which i like very much.

[Zuology]

I switched from traditional anti-fatigue mats in various foams, thicknesses, shapes, and profiles to a balance/wobble board (this is the one I currently use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072WH87RS/). Maybe due to my background in board sports (snow/skate), I really enjoy it, and don't find myself planting and leaning like I did with stationary mats. Shifting weight and pivoting stance is something I can do without thought, and is easily moved out of the way, unlike mats which can be bulky and a hassle to tuck away when needed. This setup does add another couple of inches of height over a traditional mat, but is well worth it. Not to mention that it looks way better, and won't wear out and fray/tear/stain like mats do.